How did I get out spending only $25? Well, the less I buy at one time, the less it hurts to see the cost. You eat an elephant one bite at a time I'm told. Plus, the less I buy at once, the more justification there is for returning to the scene of the spending crime! I love the clearance rack, as does my dear Miss Penny, and the clearance rack waxes and wanes so next time there's likely to be more nifty-cool-neato-sharp-oooh-that's-beautiful stuff to get at a deep discount.Another plus is it gives Miss Penny and me a reason to head out together on a mission. We share going to the gun shop to look around, going to the thrift stores to gawk, and now we can share more time together going to Whittles. It's a win-win situation. Civil War prints I found out are kinda high, at $6.50 or so a yard. A beginner like me? I don't need to be hacking and chopping my way through pricey material like that just yet. An experienced quilter who damages or inadvertently wastes premium material can always find a reason it happened that makes sense. Me? It would just be inexperience. I mean, we don't give our new 16 year old driver a Corvette----we give them a 13 year old 4 cylinder rag with duct taped upholstery and mismatched hubcaps to learn to drive. That's my $2.30 a yard fabric and me. Varooom Varooom. Don